


Ajustement

by Akaruii



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Confidant Is Left Unnamed, F/M, Not Meant To Be A Reader Insert, Some profanity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-10
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2018-12-26 00:48:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12047841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akaruii/pseuds/Akaruii
Summary: Kurusu meets a classmate of the Ajustement arcana.





	1. Rank 1

**Author's Note:**

> No, I didn't spell 'Adjustment' wrong. It's meant to be spelled that way since it's in French (correct me if I'm wrong though). The Persona series has a history of adding in alternate arcana, and I wanted to try a spin on that.
> 
> Another thing to know is that the Confidant will not be given a name or an official physical appearance. Such details will be excluded or worked around solely for a stylistic reason. Because of this, you are free to imagine what the character looks like.
> 
> This is different from my regular works, but I hope you enjoy it anyway!

“Hey, did you hear about that girl in the other class who just came back?” Kurusu glances over to the two girls gossiping close by to his seat, his interest piqued.

“Yeah, I heard she was absent because there was a car accident involving her family and she was hospitalized for a while,” says the other girl. “Her twin sister was really unlucky and still hasn’t recovered for some reason.”

“Well, at least it won’t affect her too much. She wasn’t a good student anyway, so at least her sister isn’t getting dragged down,” the other states, the corners of her lips curling into a guilty smile. “I feel kind of bad saying that, but it’s kind of true, right?”

“Yeah.” Kurusu takes note of the bias the two students had as he quietly gathers his belongings in his bag. Once he left the classroom, he notices that there is an unfamiliar face present in the hall. He assumes that it was the girl he just heard about.

Curious, he goes to say his hellos in hopes of meeting a new friend. After all, Igor did mention that his _rehabilitation_  required the establishment of deep relationships. Maybe she could be one of them.

“Hey,” Kurusu greets her awkwardly, finding it difficult to keep his composure under her piercing gaze. But there was also an air of reluctant elegance around her as well. However, that doesn’t cover up the fact that she seems to dislike him approaching her.

“Do you need something?” she asks, effectively progressing the conversation. She wears a small smile as she waits for him to continue.

He replies with, “I just wanted to say hi.”

“Okay... It’s nice to meet you then. I haven’t kept up with the gossip at school. What’s your name?” And he gives her just that. “Kurusu Akira. It has an odd ring to it, but I like it.” He smiles at her questionable compliment. “I need to head home soon. My parents are going to be worried if I stay out too long.”

“Oh, that’s fine. I’ll see you later then,” Kurusu gives her some parting words. She gives a curt nod before making her way through the hallway.

A few days later, Kurusu finds the girl lingering in the hallways after school again. He recalls the various times that he’s bumped into her during the school day. She would do nothing but return his gestures and greetings. She would never initiate them herself. In fact, it seems like she avoided him like the plague. Only on the rare occasion that she was caught off guard would he be able to approach her freely.

This was one of them.

His goal this time is to get her name. After all, a friendship doesn’t really start until both parties actually know each other by name. Ever since that first encounter with her, the following ones were too short to even get the chance to ask. Of course, he could always ask others, but that would only start him down the path of being a stalker… Or at least that’s what he believes she would most likely say.

Anyhow, his goal this time is to get her name.

“Hey,” he simply says, easily catching her attention. He sees her tense up a bit before she relaxes upon seeing him.

“Oh, it’s you.” Something about the way she said that didn’t sit quite right with him. It seemed a bit too dismissive for his liking. Though, it might be just his imagination since rumors lead him to believe she was a sort of ‘angel of grace’ to a lot of the male students in the academy. Her politeness and kindness were unrivaled compared to the majority of the school, or so said a few guys in the hallway.

“I didn’t get your name when we first talked,” he states, baring his intentions clear in the open for her to catch onto. However, Kurusu finds her response almost lackluster.

Maybe that wasn’t the right way to describe it though. She just doesn’t seem all that willing to give her name, hesitating before she mumbles it. It almost seems like she found the thought of just uttering her given name a taboo thing. How odd.

But he doesn’t push it, knowing that she doesn’t really consider him as anything more than just a new face in a crowd of people. He just hopes that she doesn’t see him as a pushy person.

“Is that all?” she asks him. Kurusu senses a familiar pattern. It seems that she wants to end the conversation. Again, he doesn’t press her further, believing that she needs a bit more time before she could open up to him. After all, her fidgeting clearly expresses that she found it uncomfortable being near him.

“Yea.”

This time, it’s not her who leaves first, but him.

Kurusu finds a familiar girl in the streets of Shinjuku as he walks around on a Sunday. He recognizes her to be his classmate; the one that recently got out of the hospital. He approaches her, curious enough to want to ask her why she was in such an area. After all, it is the red light district. One simply does not hang around just for the sake of it.

He calls out her name to get her attention.

“Kurusu?” she says, a hint of surprise accompanying the word as its undertone. She blinks and looks around before saying, “Why are  _you_ here?” He notices that she doesn’t even put effort in to hide her displeasure. What had he done to make her dislike him so much? Kurusu isn’t able to recall if he had done anything to cause such a thing.

“I could ask you the same thing,” he says, his eyes observing her carefully.

She sighs, “Right. You wouldn’t expect me of all people to be here. I am a goody two-shoes after all.” Her comment is obviously aimed at her, but he notices something in the way she said it. She didn’t seem all too proud of being ‘good.’

“So… why are you here?” Kurusu repeats his question. She flinched, eyes widening as if she just realized something.

“Huh? Oh, it’s because… I… came to get something. Yea, something. It has nothing to do with you,” she replies. Honestly, he finds it hard to believe, seeing as she dragged out the beginning of her answer. On the other hand, he takes note of her slight irritation as she said the last sentence. “Don’t tell anyone you saw me here.”

He pauses to think about it a little bit.

“And what if I do?” he dares to ask, wanting to challenge her a bit and see what she does next.

“Huh?! You gonna be tryin’ to blackmail me or somethin’? Look, don’tcha dare go blabbin’ it around school!” Her tone suddenly shifts to that of irritation. Let’s not forget to mention her surprising change in speech pattern as well. “Shit.”

“Heh.” She narrows her eyes at Kurusu.

“I’m just giving you more things to use against me now... If you keep your mouth shut, I’ll do somethin’ in return for you. But don’t get ahead of yourself though. I didn’t say  _anything,_ ” she insisted. He could sense her desperation to keep him quiet.

Even so, he agrees, “I won’t tell a soul.” Her eyes widen.

“...For reals? You’re not trickin’ me, are you? No dashin’ me under the bus like some frog?” she tries to confirm.

Kurusu nods and with that, he’s managed to get some sort of relationship with her. He’s content with the fact that she managed to let herself open up to him, even if it was a bit forced.

She breathes a sigh of relief.

“Good to know you aren’t soma kinda asshole. People kept sayin’ you were a delinquent, but I can’t believe that now that you stalked me all the way here just to talk.” She keeps silent for a moment as she looks toward the sky. “‘S getting late, so I’m headin’ home now.”

“Alright, I’ll see you sometime later then,” Kurusu says. She waves him off as she starts to walk away.

“Just keep your promise,” is all she yells over her shoulder before she disappears into the crowd.


	2. Rank 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two hang out today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A month and a few days later, a new chapter has been published! Thank you to those who are willing to read this story! <3
> 
> I usually don't like writing series, so make sure to point out any inconsistencies that you see or any grammar mistakes. it would be very much appreciated. Also, if you have any tips for me to improve my writing, please feel free to tell me!
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

“Huh? You want to hang out again?” she asks as she raises an eyebrow. Kurusu doesn’t question her polite choice of words since they were still at school. He nods as an answer to her question. She clicks her tongue. “Fine. But can I choose where we go today? I’m in the mood for a bit of gaming at the arcade.”

“Sure, let’s go,” he replies.

“Graaaaahhh!” Kurusu watches as she lets out a bit of her frustration as they walked out of the arcade. “I can’t believe I totally bombed at that shooting game. My eyes musta got bad with all that studying I did to catch up with my classes.”

“So much for  _ ‘beating me so hard that kittens don’t even want to smell me, _ ’” Kurusu says, reminding her of her heated moments earlier. He didn’t know how he personally felt about that when it was said to him, but he did wonder what Morgana would’ve done if that were to actually happen. Maybe he’d run off a bit and give him some time to do things at night.

She sighs as she stretches her arms, pulling them up in the air. “I’m slippin’ real bad if an amatuer like you can beat the hell outta me.”

“You sound like you go to the arcade a lot.” He’s surprised to learn that someone like her spent time at the arcade for fun. Even more so when he realizes that she wasted enough time to get good at playing the games. She pauses, seeming to have noticed something.

“I… Well… I don’t come here  _ often _ . My sister did though,” she states, nervously rushing through her words. “Enough about alla that. Let’s hang somewhere else.” He agrees to do just that.

Kurusu is now greeted with the familiar sight of the red light district.

“Sorry ‘bout not bein’ able to choose a different place. Can’t really feel like lettin’ my hair down anywhere ‘cept here,” she tells him, her eyes glancing around as if she was trying to soak in her environment.

“It’s alright.”

“Y’know, you keep botherin’ me to chill with you, but we don’t know a damn thing ‘bout each other,” she began, staring hard at him. “Imma be nice and let you ask me somethin’ you wanna know. I’ll shut you up if I think you’re stompin’ on personal grounds though.” She waits patiently for Kurusu to think of a question. It doesn’t take long for him to know what he wants to ask.

“Why do you want to hide the way you naturally talk?” he wonders out loud. He thought it was fine to speak the way she did. It shouldn’t be something she should be ashamed of. After all, she isn’t the only one to talk that way.

She hums, taking a moment for herself to think. Her eyes are clouded, seemingly conflicted about something. “...I’m tryin’ to keep a good rep. People say the way I talk is ‘improper’ or some shit like that. They didn’t use to do that before though...”

“Well, it’s true that most people don’t talk that way, but it’s how  _ you  _ want to talk, right? It’s fine to not have an absolute perfect image for yourself,” he gives his opinion. He couldn’t say that he understood her pain, or any part of it at all actually. But he does believe that she is fine the way she is and that she shouldn’t need to become someone else to get a good life.

“Trash that perfect angel, huh? Ain’t that sweet ‘n all, but it’d be like tellin’ me to poop out rainbows and I don’t think that feels nice. ‘S also really disgusting,” she comments, grimacing as she did so. On the other hand, he chuckles a bit at her choice for an analogy.

“I’m not telling you to create miracles, but you can try changing your image bit by bit. Take it slow,” Kurusu suggests.

“Bit… by bit…? Doesn’t sound all that bad… Y’know what, I’ll give it a whirl,” she gives in, a smile gracing her lips. “No more tucking tail and hightailing it like some pup. I’m not sure how it would work out, but it doesn’t hurt to try.” This causes him to smile as well.

“If you ever need anything, don’t be scared to tell me. I want to help if I can.” She bursts into a laugh.

“Well, look at you tryin’ be a superhero for the feels!” Her laughter soon dies down as she gives him a thankful smile. “Sorry ‘bout dampenin’ the mood with somethin’ so serious, but thanks. Tellin’ me somethin’ like that makes my day a tad better.”

“That’s great to hear,” Kurusu says.

“Now, let’s get on our way home. It’s gettin’ late,” she says with a grin. Kurusu nods as he begins to walk alongside her with the intent of making sure she got out of the area safely.


	3. Rank 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um, I'm very sorry for leaving this discontinued for over a year. As an apology, would a chapter be acceptable? On a more serious note, I hope you enjoy it and I'm sorry for any inconsistencies. I did have the entire story planned out, but I need to familiarize myself with it again after so long. Thanks for you understanding! <3

“Hey, do you want to hang out today?” Kurusu asks as he approaches her. She looks up from her phone, giving him a strained smile.

“Yeah, let’s. There’s something I need to talk to you about,” she says as lets out a sigh, seemingly trying to brace herself. “Is there anywhere quiet to talk? I’m not feeling the background buzz of our usual place.”

“Does the [park name] park work?” the noiret offers and she nods in return.

The two sat quietly at a bench, listening to the soft rustle of the trees as a breeze occasionally passed by. It wasn’t until Kurusu heard his friend beginning to talk that the silence was broken.

“Remember that conversation about trying to be more like myself?” She doesn’t use her normal speech in favor of the way she talked at school. He doesn’t let that detail slip by, quietly wondering to himself why she had a sudden change in opinion. After all, she seemed pretty happy at the thought of just being herself without putting up all the fronts.

“Did something happen? You’re not talking like yourself,” he asks her, taking note of the way she avoids looking at him and instead choosing to cast her gaze downwards.

“...I took your advice,” she says blatantly. He raises an eyebrow, silently waiting for her to continue and explain what happened. “Really? I thought you could figure it out yourself.”

“Apparently, I can’t. Not unless, I hear it from you. What made you change your mind? Did other students say something to you? You don’t have to care about what they say,” Kurusu states as he glances over to her, hoping that she would reconsider.

“That’s not it. Some things just came up and I don’t think that it’s the right time for this. I want to be myself and find friends who like me for me. I truly do, but—”

“That’s not a reason for you to have to be like this with me. If you can’t be yourself around others, then at least be yourself around me. We’re not close, but that can change. I promised you that I wouldn’t tell others about this,” he reassured her. He eyes her, carefully taking note of how she reacts.

“No, it’s not alright! I can’t let myself get influenced by you like this. Not yet...”

“It’s not good for you, having to suppress yourself like that.”

She sighs, still refusing to look at him, “Thank you.” An awkward silence envelops the two; neither wanting to speak any more. Kurusu waits patiently for anything else that she might say, hoping to hear some sort follow-up. “I think I’d like some time to myself to think things over for a bit.”

Finally, she looks over to Kurusu, meeting his gaze for the first time since they came to the park.

“My circumstances are a bit complicated. I’ll head home early today, so I can mull things over a bit,” she concludes. She gives an apologetic bow to the noiret and bids her farewells along with any apologies. Deciding to not push things further, Kurusu gives her a curt nod, replying to her with his own set of parting words before watching as she dashes away.


End file.
